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A Watery and Fun Way to Lose Weight

Posted By: RealAge on 10/22/2011

Don't mind cutting calories, but hate to exercise? Toss your running shoes back in the closet and throw a swimsuit in your gym bag.

Wet workouts may change how you feel about exercise. In a recent study, people who did twice-weekly aqua-jogging sessions dropped both body fat and waist size -- without going on a calorie-restricted diet.

Wet and Wonderful Weight Loss
During the 6-week study, the pool joggers went from feeling embarrassed, reluctant, or afraid of suffering an exercise-induced injury to enjoying exercise. Other benefits included a big drop in appetite, along with perceived improvements in fitness, self-esteem, confidence, and quality of life. Some folks were even moved to start a healthier, calorie-restricted diet, in addition to their new workout routine.

A Little is a Lot
Bottom line: Even if it nets only minimal weight loss, a small amount of exercise can cause dramatic drops in many common obesity-related health risks, including high blood pressure, insulin resistance, high cholesterol, and metabolic syndrome.